by Belle Malory
“Explain.”
“I’m getting there. Like I said before, Selena was supposed to be a one-night stand.”
I scrunched my face together. “Yep, I’m ready to move on from that.”
“Then she told me she was pregnant. You want to talk about being blindsided? That one hit me hard.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted to do the right thing. So, I gave her my grandmother’s ring. We planned to marry after graduation. I had no idea Petra was also pregnant."
“But that would mean…” The wheels turned over in my mind. “Wait—I’m the older sister?”
He nodded, smiling for a moment. “Only by a month or two at most. As a toddler, Riley started speaking before you did, so I decided she would be the eldest. I told everyone your birthdays were a year apart to keep our backstory believable.”
All my life, I’d been looking up to Riley, believing she was the older, wiser sibling. I couldn’t wait to throw that back in her face.
“So, you got two women pregnant at the same time,” I said, trying to put all the pieces together for once and for all. “But if you loved Petra, why did you choose Selena?”
“Petra came to speak to me, shortly after I proposed to Selena. In retrospect, I believe she came to tell me about her pregnancy, but I couldn’t bear looking at her. She was everything I wanted, and in my mind, everything I couldn’t have. Not if I wanted to put my unborn child first. So, I shut the door in her face.” He winced, shame washing over him. “If I had given her the chance to speak…if I had known about you…I would have done things differently. But I didn’t know, and I didn’t find out until you were placed on my doorstep with that damnable stone tablet.”
What Petra told me in the Underworld suddenly came back, her voice filling my mind.
There I was—humiliated and pregnant. My mother was so angry, she disowned me. Since Daniel was with Selena, I had nowhere to go. Thomas was my only option. I fled to the Underworld and begged him to let me stay.
Maybe I was quick to judge Petra. The man she loved shunned her, her mother did the same, and then her own father trapped her in a world full of monsters. She literally had no one but me, and I was kidnapped, cursed, and sent to live with my father.
I hated that Petra was a hollow. I hated that she had tortured and killed people, but I had to admit—it was no wonder she became who she was. I would’ve become the Darth Vader of the Underworld if I experienced half of what she had gone through.
“Why did you leave them in the Underworld?” I said, trying to understand Dad’s side of it.
He let out a shaky breath. “I’m not proud of this part, but I want to be completely transparent.”
I nodded, bracing myself.
“Like everyone else, I believed the rumors. I assumed it was Petra who cursed you, and that she kidnapped and murdered Selena out of spite.”
I swallowed. Just like me, he believed the worst of her.
“The thing is,” he continued, “she was known to go off the rails when she was angry. At the time, I didn’t know what else to think. Now, I’ve had years to go over it. Yes, she had a temper. And yes, she beat the hell out of anyone who got in her way, but to murder someone?” He ran his hands over his face, slowly shaking his head. “I know Petra could never do what people said she did. Deep down, she had a kind heart, and she loved animals. I once watched her heal a bird with a broken wing with magic. She never would have killed anyone, much less curse her own child.”
He was right on one of those counts, but the Petra I knew had no problem killing nowadays.
Dad shook himself, then continued on. “But I was young and foolish. Since I was in pain, I wanted to believe the worst of her. You and your sister became all that mattered, and that I had to be strong for the two of you. I made the choice to leave Mythos, hoping that by doing so, I could keep you safe for as long as possible.”
Well, there it was.
The story I had been waiting for, and I don’t know if I felt any better now that I finally heard it.
No one had come out a winner. Least of all, Riley and me.
And if I felt bad, I couldn’t imagine the guilt Dad felt. I don’t think he could have helped either of our moms escape, but I knew him well enough to know he wished he would have tried. He wasn’t the kind to turn his back on someone who needed him.
“What did Petra say when you met her?” His hands muffled his voice. “Does she hate me?”
I gently touched Dad’s arm. “She’s probably not the person you remember.”
He let his hands fall away to look at me, then nodded. “Seventeen years in the Underworld would change anyone.”
I thought of the way Petra grieved over the dead dragon though, and I wondered if traces of her old self remained.
“It’s your turn.” His tone took on a serious edge. “Tell me everything that happened when you met her.”
I knew it was best to be honest, even if it hurt him to hear the painful details. I told him Petra pledged herself as a hollow, and that she had served the council by torturing prisoners with her mind manipulation. I also told him she mistakenly assumed she kidnapped Riley, but most importantly, that she would have killed me if I had been Riley.
The news didn’t bother him as much as I expected. He just stroked his chin, lost in thought. “I don’t know that she would have gone through with it.”
“It was premeditated, Dad. She’s a trained killer—she definitely would have gone through with it.”
I don’t know why, but I didn’t reveal that she sent me the parchwyn, or that she agreed not to kill Riley for now. Whoever Petra Drakos was, she was no longer the person he once loved. I didn’t want to give him false hope.
“That may be the case, and if it is, I’m partly to blame.”
“How so?”
“Because I left her there,” he said simply. “Along with figuring out how to stop the curse, I must find a way to free her—to free them both.”
“Sounds impossible,” I sighed.
He shrugged one shoulder. “Impossible is a circumstance I’ve been dealing with for years.” Hope sparked in his hazel eyes. “It’s time we changed that.”
16
That night, I dreamt of the Curse Breaker. I was back on his wooden floor, surrounded by candles. Some of them burned orange, some black. He chanted loudly, his voice moving from every direction. The flames grew into towering waves of fire, hovering over me. Sweat dripped from my skin and I closed my eyes to prepare for my inevitable death.
Sheridan.
Someone shook me. It instantly brought me back to the night Jett had me kidnapped by her creature goons, and I screamed.
A hand came over my mouth. “Sheridan, it’s me.” I blinked several times as Xander’s face took shape in the dark. After the way we left things on the training field, I wanted a clear head before I talked to him again. And I definitely didn’t want to have this conversation in my bed. If anyone caught us, we would be in all kinds of trouble.
He lifted his hand, and I immediately started questioning him. “Why are you—”
Xander’s eyes darted to Ione, who was asleep across the room. Ione was a deep sleeper though, and she usually had several glasses of wine in her system. She wouldn’t wake up.
“I’m sorr—”
“I want to apologize—”
Realizing what we were doing, we stopped. Xander breathed out through his nose, his mouth curving up on one side.
The awful things I said to him hadn’t left my mind. He only made the oath with Selena because he was trying to escape imprisonment, and that’s about as forced as it got. I needed him to know I understood that. “I didn’t mean it,” I whispered, going first. “The things I said—”
He cut me off again, pressing a finger over my lips. “You were right though. I had a choice and you didn’t.”
“They held you captive and tortured you,” I said with a shaky breath. “I would have agreed to anything to escape, too. That’s not much of a choic
e.”
He reached for my hand and gently squeezed. “I didn’t mean the things I said either. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“I know.” I groaned, still ashamed for how badly I screwed things up. “I should’ve left when you told me to leave.”
He shook his head. “None of it was your fault.” He lightly traced the bracelet he’d given me. “The protection stone was no match for your sister’s amulet. I wish I could give you something better.”
“Don’t say that.” I held the little charm against my heart. “I could feel it warning me.”
“It failed to keep you safe.”
“I’m fine, Xander. Look at me.”
We both went quiet for several long seconds, simply taking in each other’s presence. His magic settled my frantic nerves, the fresh scent transporting me away from that awful dream and into a peaceful, warm place.
Xander leaned down and rested his head next to mine, slowly breathing out. “I don’t want to keep messing this up. You’re too important.” His words seemed to carry more meaning than I understood. “No matter what happens, you should know that.”
I pulled back, raising a brow. “What’s going to happen?”
“Nothing.” He raised himself up off the bed and carefully tucked my hair behind my ear. “I just wanted you to know. You mean everything to me, Sheridan.” He leaned down, brushing his lips against mine for the briefest of moments. Little sparks of heat tickled my lips, and I wanted to pull him back to make the feeling last longer.
But light flooded the hallway outside my door. Lately, the admins had been doing bed checks, magical ones, that would give away Xander’s presence. “I should go,” he whispered, glancing toward the balcony.
I swallowed, noticing the way his mouth pulled into a frown. There was more going on inside his head than he was telling me. He went to leave, but I caught his arm. “Wait.”
He looked at me expectantly.
“You do, too…” I said, my sentence drifting off. Mean everything to me.
The words got stuck in my throat, sort of difficult to say. But Xander understood. He reached behind my head and pulled me close again. Butterflies soared as he kissed me with a devastating intensity that made me want to cry and scream at the same time.
Before I could pull myself together, he slipped back out through the balcony, leaving me reeling from that kiss. I touched my lips for a second, wondering at the emotion I’d felt behind it. It was almost like…like he thought he wouldn’t get another chance.
I shook my head, positive I was crazy. Xander wasn’t going anywhere, and if he was, he would tell me. This was simply my abandonment issues showing up in full force.
But then, I kept thinking about the way he said, “No matter what happens.”
Those words rung in my ear, chilling me to the bone. He said it like he knew something would.
17
Sheridan,
I gathered more information about Persephone’s Cure through a reliable source. An intriguing solution, one that offers promise! As it so happens, Selena revealed you and your sister would come to the Underworld. I didn’t fully understand it at the time, but her predictions are famous for their accuracy. If Selena already saw it coming to pass, then it is impossible to prevent. As much as I fear your coming here, my best course of action is to prepare for your arrival. I can’t stress this enough—keep it a secret. Thomas Vane can never know.
I will begin searching for suitable accommodations, somewhere you can remain hidden. When you are ready, just say the word.
-Your Mom
It took me several seconds to remember to breathe.
Selena saw us coming there.
I didn’t even think it was a reality, especially after last night. Both Grandpa and Dad shut the idea down almost as soon as I brought it up. But if she saw us, that changed everything. It meant it had to happen. It meant I couldn’t give up trying to convince them.
I glanced at Petra’s signature again.
Your Mom.
Like she wanted to remind me. But I didn’t need reminding. I thought about who she was and what that meant daily. Unsure of how to reply, I closed the parchwyn and slipped it back into the space beneath my bed, where I’d been hiding it.
Whenever the journey to the Underworld became possible, it was nice to know I had help waiting. I doubt I could survive without it.
“Sheridan, don’t forget about Lovers Ball tonight.”
I blinked and looked up at Ione. She was about to walk out the door, the strap of her bag slung over her shoulder.
Lovers Ball was an annual Aphrodite event to hand out awards to our mastery classmates and celebrate their impending journey into the workforce. But really, it was just another excuse for Aphrodite students to throw a party. This one just happened to be bigger and grander than the rest.
“I’ll be there,” I said, nodding.
I had totally forgotten, but I tried not to show it. She already made me feel bad about my preference for House Ares. No need for her to know how little focus I’d been giving Aphrodite lately, especially after the way she came to my rescue with the geniox rumor. When she figured out I didn’t have a dress, she would be livid.
She tilted her head to the side, seeing right through me. “I got you a dress last week.”
I let out a breath of relief. “Thanks, Ione.”
“Be back before dinner,” she ordered. “I’ll do your hair and makeup. God knows what will happen if you’re left to your own devices.”
I gave her a little salute and she walked out the door.
I walked swiftly to my first class of the day—Basic Magic Principles—and after I got there and sat down, I nearly groaned out loud when Jett sat next to me. I wondered why she bothered.
“Hey, Thorny,” she said cheerfully, just as she had been doing for the last several days. “How are you?”
“Still alive,” I muttered sarcastically. “Unless you plan on selling my soul for more magic.”
She snorted. “Cute.”
Those kinds of comments used to make her feel bad enough to leave me alone, but the sting in them had stopped working. So, I scooted my chair as far as I could away from her, then pulled out my notebook and set it on the table.
“We have a lab today,” Jett said, and I winced. One more thing I’d forgotten about—the bone reading. Professor Ambrosia was big on teaching us all forms of ancient divination.
Lucky me, we were instructed to partner up with the person sitting next to us.
A while later, Jett and I were stuck deciphering bone angles together.
She cleared her throat. “The wishbone crossed with the gnarly one means…” She looked down at the textbook. “Clarity?”
“Good enough. Is it my turn?”
Jett shoved the book away. “Forget this poppy-cock. I’ve got actual spirits whispering in my ear, Thorny. Let me give you a real reading.”
“No, thanks.” I rolled my eyes. The last thing I wanted was for her to use the same magic she traded my life for to give me a reading.
“Your grandmother appeared to me last night.”
I blinked, stunned, but I didn’t let it show. “That’s nice.”
“She said when you were young, she used to braid flowers into your hair and call you her little sunshine.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. I didn’t have many memories of my grandmother, but I vividly remember her calling me that, and I have pictures of me in braids with flowers.
“A few more of your ancestors were with her, most of whom you don’t know. They say you’re important to Mythos.”
I shrugged her words off, struggling to look unaffected. “Awesome.”
“More important than you give yourself credit for,” she added, raising her brows as if she were impressed. “In fact, they say the separation ends with you.”
“Separation?” I tried to sound uninterested, but even I could detect the piqued curiosity in my voice.
“Of magic.”
Now that got my attention.
I was afraid to ask any more questions, but I couldn’t help it at this point. “What does that mean?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know exactly…just that you mark the beginning of blended magic. Because of you, other mages will make the shift.”
I swallowed. Blended magic? That didn’t sound like a bad thing, but in Mythos, it wasn’t really done. This, like everything else Jett had ever said, proved that she was full of smoke and mirrors.
I picked up the pile of bones, gathering them back into the bowl. I handed it to her. “Your turn to throw.”
Jett let out a long sigh. “Don’t you care, Thorny?”
“Sure I care—about getting a good grade on this lab. Now throw.”
She frowned but let the subject of my ancestors and blended magic drop for the time being. She took the bowl in her hands, swished it around, then tossed its insides out onto the mat.
I read vague descriptions aloud from the book about what each bone represented. Other than that, we didn’t speak again.
But it didn’t stop me from thinking about what she said. I thought of my grandmother, remembering the way she used to kiss the top of my head. My little sunshine, she’d say. You are so special. So full of light.
My eyes grew watery. I was only five or six at the time of her death, and I don’t know why it bothered me now.
I shook away the feeling and told myself to let it go. This was just Jett, trying to get to me by playing on my emotions. I refused to let her this time.
18
When Xander didn’t show up to any of our usual places, I began to feel a little more worried about the night before. I thought I’d find him in Weaponry, and that everything would be fine, but he wasn’t there either. With each passing hour, I became more nervous.
I could feel it in my bones—something shifted in him last night.
In my Flight Equestrianism class, the professor made us clean stable stalls and brush the horses down. I didn’t mind though. Just being around them had a calming effect. I threw myself into the labor in an attempt to forget everything else.
